What Japan ships to the United States
Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, Japan is a listed supplier on 192 of them, worth $55.3 billion in March–July 2026 (88.1% of all imports from Japan in the period). The chapters below rank those headings; goods outside the 300 largest headings, and headings where Japan is not among the top 15 origins, are in the total but not in the table.
| HS chapter | Value (March–July 2026) | Share of covered | Largest headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87 Vehicles other than railway rolling stock · guide | $19.8 billion | 35.9% | 8703 Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed ($16.0 billion); 8708 Parts and accessories of the motor vehicles ($2.84 billion); 8711 Motorcycles and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor ($339 million); 8704 Motor vehicles for the transport of goods ($315 million) |
| 84 Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers · guide | $13.5 billion | 24.4% | 8429 Self-propelled bulldozers, angledozers, graders, levelers ($2.02 billion); 8486 Machines and apparatus ($1.62 billion); 8443 Printing machinery used for printing by means of plates ($1.09 billion); 8411 Turbojets, turbopropellers and other gas turbines ($1.06 billion) |
| 85 Electrical machinery, electronics and parts · guide | $9.29 billion | 16.8% | 8507 Electric storage batteries, including separators therefor ($1.82 billion); 8542 Electronic integrated circuits ($925 million); 8504 Electrical transformers, static converters and inductors ($702 million); 8501 Electric motors and generators ($597 million) |
| 30 Pharmaceutical products · guide | $3.05 billion | 5.5% | 3002 Human blood ($2.25 billion); 3004 Medicaments consisting ($734 million); 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles ($30.0 million); 3006 Pharmaceutical goods specified in note 4 to this chapter ($24.8 million) |
| 90 Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments · guide | $2.69 billion | 4.9% | 9018 Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical ($875 million); 9027 Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis ($380 million); 9031 Measuring or checking instruments, appliances and machines ($352 million); 9002 Lenses, prisms, mirrors and other optical elements ($218 million) |
| 38 Miscellaneous chemical products · guide | $1.18 billion | 2.1% | 3824 Prepared binders for foundry molds or cores ($737 million); 3818 Chemical elements doped for use in electronics ($258 million); 3815 Reaction initiators ($90.9 million); 3822 Diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing ($81.9 million) |
| 40 Rubber and articles of rubber · guide | $1.01 billion | 1.8% | 4011 New pneumatic tires, of rubber ($693 million); 4016 Other articles of vulcanized rubber ($163 million); 4002 Synthetic rubber and factice derived from oils ($92.9 million); 4009 Tubes, pipes and hoses, of vulcanized rubber ($59.1 million) |
| 88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof · guide | $1.00 billion | 1.8% | 8807 Parts of goods of heading 8801, 8802 or 8806 ($1.00 billion); 8802 Other aircraft ($516,000) |
Each heading links to its U.S. import market page, with every origin's share and effective duty. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin, public domain (work of the u.s. federal government); method as in our tariff-rates research.
Container ports in Japan
The seaports below have a port page on this site with the UN/LOCODE, the classifiers and the lanes serving them. Which one your cargo uses depends on the factory's region and the carrier's service string; tell us the pickup address and we route it.
Any seaport's UN/LOCODE: port code finder; airports: airport code finder (IATA/ICAO).
U.S. duty treatment for goods from Japan
- Column 1 general rate. Set by the HTS classification of the goods, not by the freight. Japan has no free trade agreement with the United States, so the general rate applies.How FTA claims work.
- Section 301, forced labour. Japan is reported in the 10% tier of the Section 301 forced-labour action (in force from 2026-07-24), subject to its general and economy-specific exemption lists.
- Section 232. Applies regardless of origin: steel, aluminium and copper on full customs value in 50%, 25% and 15% annex tiers since 2026-04-06, plus vehicles and parts, lumber and furniture, trucks, semiconductors and drones under their own proclamations. Dated entries on the tariff updates tracker.
- IEEPA and Section 122. The IEEPA tariffs ended on 2026-02-24 after the Supreme Court decision of 2026-02-20, with refunds ordered; the Section 122 surcharge that replaced them expired on 2026-07-24. Neither applies to entries filed now.
- MPF and HMF. The merchandise processing fee and, for ocean cargo, the harbor maintenance fee apply on top of duty.
Estimate the total for an HTS code with Japan as origin in the tariff simulator, or find the code first in the HTS code finder. Tariff facts above are dated as on the tracker; confirm with your broker before pricing.
U.S. import duty pages for goods from Japan
Worked duty pages for the highest-value tariff lines imported from Japan, with the Column 1 rate, every Chapter 99 line and a $10,000 example.
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Immunological products
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Crawler mounted hydraulic backhoes
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Parts of airplanes and helicopters
- Parts of aircraft turbines
- Gear boxes
- Machines and apparatus for the manufacture
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
21 more in this group. Rates are the engine's calculated total for a commercial entry today; see each page for the components and entry-date history. Browse all import duty pages or price your own shipment.
Transit from Japan to the USA
Airlift has not published a planning range from Japan to the USA, so this page does not quote one. Ask for the current sailing when you request a quote, or search live sailings for any port pair.
Documents for a shipment from Japan to the USA
On the U.S. side every ocean import needs the same set, whatever the origin. On the Japan side an export declaration is filed with the national customs authority by your forwarder or customs agent; we have not published the form's name for Japan on this page, so ask us which one applies to your shipment.
- Importer Security Filing (ISF, "10+2"). Required by CBP for cargo arriving by vessel, filed before the container is laden; Airlift files it in-house. Details · glossary · CBP — Importer Security Filing (10+2)
- Customs bond. A continuous or single-entry bond in the importer's name, arranged through the customs broker before the entry is filed. Details
- Commercial invoice. Seller, buyer, terms of sale, a full description and value per line, and the country of origin; the entry is built on it. Details
- Packing list. Marks, package count, weights and dimensions per package, matching the invoice and the bill of lading. · glossary
Airlift's customs clearance service covers document review, HTS classification support, ISF and entry coordination through our licensed broker network at the port of entry. Less-than-container loads: LCL ocean freight.
Shipping from Japan to the USA: questions
In the Census sample for March–July 2026, U.S. imports for consumption from Japan totalled $62.8 billion. Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, the biggest from Japan were vehicles other than railway rolling stock; machinery, mechanical appliances and computers; electrical machinery, electronics and parts. The table on this page lists the headings with their values.
Other origins
Every origin by region: shipping to the USA by country of origin. Airlift's lane guides: shipping route guides.
Trade figures: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin (March–July 2026, extract of 2026-09-03), public domain (work of the u.s. federal government). Port codes: UNECE UN/LOCODE 2024-2. Tariff facts: the dated entries on the tariff updates tracker and the sources linked above. Reviewed September 2026.
Request a quote: shipping from Japan to the USA
Give us the pickup city or load port in Japan, the U.S. destination, the commodity, the package count with weights and dimensions or the container size and count, the cargo-ready date, and whether you need pickup at origin, U.S. delivery or customs clearance. We reply with the freight rate, destination charges and the services included.